Strange Encounters
by giacinta
Summary: Dean and Sam, Dog-verse. Humour and angst. Chapter Six . Hope you enjoy. :) A big thanks to everyone who has read,favoured and reviewed.
1. Chapter 1

Strange Encounters

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The dog looked up at him and Dean could have sworn that some witch had transformed his brother into his canine twin.

Big hazel eyes; check, long untidy chestnut doggy-hair; check, long skinny legs; check, head tilted up staring at him with an identical endearing puppy-eyed expression on its face as his brother's; check, check, check!

Just to be certain, he threw a glance over his shoulder to where Sam was throwing his stuff into the Impala.

He shook his head to clear it; Sam was still Sam, not a dog!

X

He gazed back down at the animal who hadn't moved from the spot and was still looking up at him with the goofy Sam expression in its eyes.

Dean felt an irresistible urge to pet it and he began to bend down. "Hey there, boy! Where did you come from? You gotta have some of Sammy's genes in there somewhere."

X

He hadn't yet placed his hand on the dog's head when a menacing growl made him look up and surprised, he took a step back as another dog came to stand beside the Sammy clone, pushing it aside and taking up an aggressive stance in front of him.

Dean felt the goose bumps rising on his skin; this dog was smaller, his short-haired coat darker, with piercing green eyes and a set of perfect teeth, all of which were showing in the snarl that was being directed towards him.

He held up his hands hoping that in doggy sign language it meant the same as in the human version; that he meant no harm.

He stared at the darker dog; he would never have thought to compare himself to a mutt but the aggressive animal that was still snarling at him reminded him of himself. It was protecting the Sammy dog. How many times had he himself come to stand between Sam and a potential enemy!

X

X

"Dean," Sam said coming up behind him. "You coming?"

X

When Sam saw the two dogs, a huge grin spread over his face. "Hey there, guys," he said as he hunched down to pet the animals.

Dean watched in awe as the darker dog who up until that moment had been baring his teeth in attack mode, started wagging his tail and bounded over to Sam allowing himself to be petted and played with by his brother.

X

While he was watching, taken aback, he felt a wet nose rubbing on his hand. The Sam dog was nuzzling at him, obviously inviting him to pet him. Dean hunched down in a similar posture to his brother and played with the dog, rubbing its long ears as it continued to gaze up at him with big soulful eyes.

It was impossible but he seemed to hear the dog telling him not to worry about his aggressive big brother. He was always like that with strangers. He was the biggest mother-henning doggy brother on the planet.

Dean drew back his hands as if he had been burned; the life they led had made them digest so many weird happenings but to run into two dogs who seemed to be the canine equivalents of him and Sam was just out of this world!

Suddenly he found the Dean dog beside him again although it was friendlier now. It growled roughly at the Sam-dog and pushed at him with its head. The Sam-dog gave him one last puppy glance before it walked off, with its companion one step behind.

X

Sam came to stand beside him.

"You know Dean, those dogs gave me a sensation of deja vu or something. I can't quite place it," he said confused.

Dean cocked his head and stared up at him. Yup, identical to the dog. His own canine twin would have his hands full with the Sam twin.

"Don't try to work it out, Sammy," he smiled." Just put it down to our crazy life!"

Sam gave him an upside-down smile, and bumping shoulders the brothers made their way back to the Impala.

X

XXX The end XXX


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two.

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The dogs padded out of the motel car park, the darker of the two snorting as it upped its pace to get alongside its companion.

Anyone who passed by would only have heard the low woofing and exchange of grunts from the two animals. To human ears it was nothing more than the universal language of the canine race; but if they had been able to understand, they would have heard the bitchy exchange between them.

"You never listen to me, do you, Sam?" the smaller dog yelped in a mix of exasperation and anger. "You're far too trusting! Haven't you learned your lesson yet? You don't go all friendly on humans you don't know!"

X

His chestnut-coloured companion turned its shaggy head towards him; its tongue lolling out as it seemed to roll its eyes.

"You worry too much, Dean. Those two would never have hurt us."

"So you're a mind reader, now," the Dean dog snorted

"Yeah, I am Dean, otherwise how would we be able to talk to each other?

"That's different. We've been like this since we were puppies"

"Well, we've never run across any other dogs that can do what we do. We must be the only ones around!"

X

"Anyway," the Sam dog continued. "The dark-haired human reminded me of you Dean. If you had been human I could imagine you looking exactly like him. You would never harm me and I could sense that the human wouldn't either."

"I'll repeat what I said," Dean sniffed. "You're too trusting. Just because he reminded you of me doesn't mean he's harmless."

"Okay; why did you go all smoochy with the other one then?"

X

If a blush could have been seen on a dog's hairy face, it would have been right then.

"To be honest, the taller human reminded me of you; long skinny legs, shaggy hair and oversized puppy eyes."

"You mean like these, " Sam yipped amused, as he nailed his brother with the most soulful of gazes.

"Yeah, just like those," Dean whined. "Ever since you were a tiny ball of fur, you always got your way when you turned them on."

X

"When I was a tiny ball of fur as you say, so were _**you**_ Dean. Just because you were born minutes earlier doesn't make you any older!"

"Dude, it makes me, minutes older; so I am!" The dog confirmed, pulling back its lips in the facsimile of a smile.

Sam rolled his eyes

X

"I think those humans were brothers too," Dean barked. "I wonder if they're telepathic like us?"

"Dunno," Sam answered. "I'm not sure, but he might have heard me when I told him what a mother–hen bossy brother you are."

"I am _**not**_!" Dean grunted back indignantly. "I'm as normal a mutt as they come; it's you who always gets his shaggy ass into trouble. I bet the human has the same problem with your look-alike!"

X

"Anyway, not all humans are bad, Dean."

"I can count on my paws those who have been good to us," Dean retorted.

"How about, Mrs Smith or little Jilly or old Mr Rose. They were all so sweet to us."

"I suppose," Dean whined. "But the bad outweighs the good, a hundred to one."

X

X

Dean perked up as a tantalising aroma of hamburgers wafted across his sensitive nostrils.

"Time for lunch, Sammy, " he barked, licking his lips. "Let's go see if we can rustle up a couple of burgers. Get your eyes ready to do their thing! You know the human girls can't resist you!"

"Huh; how come I get to do all the work? You can turn on the charm too when you want, Dean"

"Dude, I reserve my charm for the fairer sex. Softening up humans is your scene!"

Sam shook his head at his incorrigible brother, as they padded round to the service entrance and waited until the door opened and a young girl came out.

X

"Move your ass, Sammy! " Dean barked.

Sam gave the doggiest of sighs and began to whine piteously.

He sat down in front of the girl, cocking his head to the side and looking up heartbreakingly at her.

"Oh, you sweet thing," she cooed, catching sight of the adorable shaggy dog with the big moss-green pleading eyes.

"Aren't you just the cutest little dude ever?"

X

Sam kept up the whining as the girl petted him.

He knew Dean was at his back, waiting to intervene if things went downhill.

"Are you hungry, boy?" she asked as Sam leaned into her caress, "Wait here and I'll see if I can sneak something out to you, Okay?"

She re-entered the diner closing the door behind her.

X

"You're infallible, Sammy! I don't think anyone has ever refused you when you do your adorable puppy thing."

"Just remember when we're out in the country-side, it's your job to find us food," Sam bitched back.

"Dude, I am the terror of all the rabbits in the land. Have we ever gone hungry? The truth, man!"

"No Dean, we haven't. You're the best hunter on the planet," Sam admitted showing his teeth.

X

"Shh! Here comes dinner," Dean yelped as the door opened and she set down four half-broken burgers."

"There you go boy, enjoy." she smiled as she gave him one last caress.

Sam licked her hand in gratitude, as her boss called her back inside.

X

Dean came to stand next to his brother as they delved into the burgers.

"Mmm," Dean grunted, his mouth full of the delicious meat. "You did good, Sammy. You did real good!"

X

XXXX The enD XXXX


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

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The two dogs padded down the road in companionable silence, each step taking them further away from the middle-sized town in which they had passed the last week.

Their bellies were pleasantly full of tasty hamburgers, due to Sam's masterful whining and puppy-eyed performance at the back door of a MacDonald in the town centre.

"Works every time, Sammy. It's the hair that does it. They just can't resist your perky wet nose and begging puppy gaze peeking through that jungle you've got on your head!" Dean barked, in acknowledgment of his brother's Oscar Prize-worthy performance.

"Huh. Well I've done my bit for today. Tomorrow, it'll be your job to hunt us up some fresh meat." Sam replied grouchily; he was particularly proud of his long-haired chestnut coat, and for this very reason Dean was more than happy to tease his brother in continuation! Dean on the other hand loved his tidy dark short-haired one.

X

By tomorrow they would be well into the wilderness that lay outside the city limits and there certainly wouldn't be a diner to provide them with food.

Sam preferred hanging around the towns however; the open country-side was far more dangerous in his eyes but Dean loved the wide open spaces, the soft grass beneath his paws and of course hunting prey.

"Come on Sam!" his brother was saying. "You know that it's a snitch for a superior hunter like myself to grab some fresh meat. The rabbits will have issued a blanket warning as soon as they know I'm in the vicinity."

"Right," the Sam dog huffed, shaking the long straggly hairs out of his eyes. "Dean the rabbit-slayer. I'm sure the news of your arrival will have hit every rabbit hole in the county by now!"

"You're just jealous of my hunting prowess, Lassie! I admit that your whining abilities are good but they can't be compared to the rush of spotting your prey and capturing it," Dean replied relishing the idea of the future hunt. "You've never gone hungry with me around, have you little brother?"

Sam tossed his shaggy head. No they had never gone hungry in the past but the future was always an uncertainty.

"No, Dean, we haven't, but you know I prefer the city. The countryside is dangerous. You're a great hunter but you're not the only predator out there and maybe one day _**we**_ might end up being the prey."

"If I hadn't seen you with my own eyes fighting off sons of bitches that have dared to attack us, I would take you to be the biggest girl on the planet," Dean teased.

Sam was the sweetest-natured dog you could hope to meet but he became a veritable lion when he had to defend Dean or himself.

"How many times is that now that I have saved your ass?" Sam answered testily.

"Not as many times as I've saved yours," was the prompt reply.

"Are we going to turn this into pissing contest, Dean?" Sam bitched.

X

Dean hung his tongue out of his mouth, grinned and ran off.

"Come on Sammy, move that ass and run. We need some exercise after hanging around humans for a whole week. I'll race you to that tree over there."

"You're on Dean, " Sam yelped as he tore after his brother, across the open country-side.

X

X

The occupants of the black car roaring along the road that coasted the fields across which the two dogs were running, watched as the larger brown-haired dog caught up with the smaller one and threw himself on top of him wrestling him playfully to the ground.

"Aren't they the two strange dogs we saw back in town?" Sam asked his brother.

"Yup. Is seems like them, " Dean agreed. "That's definitely your doggy twin, Sammy," he teased. "He needs a hair-cut too!"

Sam pursed his lips. That was it! He would keep growing his hair for no other reason than to bitch off Dean, he vowed! If it got too long he'd wear it in a pony-tail!

X

"They look as if they're enjoying themselves," Dean continued. "I wouldn't mind being a dog for an hour or two, just to enjoy racing across the grass and giving some hare a heart attack."

"Huh," Sam huffed. " Me too, at least that dog won't be getting baited about his hair every minute."

"Aw, Sammy, if it upsets you so much, I won't mention it again, " Dean smirked, as Sam unexpectedly smacked him lightly over the back of the head!

"Ouch, keep your Gigantor hands to yourself, Sammy, unless you want me to stop the car and give you a little sparring match," Dean threatened.

"Why not, Dean. What better place than on the grass, " Sam answered.

Dean stared at him in astonishment. "You're not kidding, are you? You want to spar out here in the wilds?"

"Why not? But if I win, no hair baiting for a month!" Sam replied.

"You're on, Sammy!" Dean smirked, as he drew into the road-side.

His little brother wanted a whupping and he was ready to deliver.

In the end there isn't all that much difference between man and dog, both enjoy a good work-out, especially with a teasing brother!

X

The enD


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

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"Here, Your Majesty," Dean barked as he set the freshly caught prey down in front of his waiting brother.

"You get first taste."

Sam sniffed at the plump rabbit; although he would eat the meat, he had become used to the cooked food that they scrounged in the towns.

X

"What is it? You too girlie now to eat good country-bred food?" Dean growled, his tongue lolling out, trying to catch his breath after his exhilarating run after the rabbit.

"No, Dean. You know I don't have any problem with that; it's just... I've cultivated a taste for cooked meat," Sam answered ruefully.

"You've become too much of a city dog, you've gotten too soft," Dean commented.

"Could be," Sam replied. " But Dean, just how long can we go on travelling around the country-side?" he continued. "Maybe we should think of finding a good-hearted human to adopt and stay with," Sam remarked. "We're not getting any younger, you know."

X

Dean stared at his brother, aghast at his words. "What! You want us to settle down in someone's back yard, boring ourselves to death staring at the same things every day, getting fat and snoozing from morning to night?"

Sam tossed his head to throw back the long strands of hair which were always threatening to cover his eyes.

"Does it seem all that bad, Dean? We wouldn't have to sleep under trees or in smelly alleyways."

"That could never be my life , Sammy, " Dean growled in answer.

"When the time comes I want to go out free, my own dog, and not petted and fed by a human. Is that what you want, Sam? If so, I'll back you up, for a while anyway, until I can't stand it any more, then I'd have to leave."

X

This wasn't the first time the two dogs had argued out the pros and cons of finding a human and a permanent place to hang out, but they had always ended up deciding to continue with the roaming life they had favoured up until now.

"I know you hate staying in one place too long but it's safer Dean," Sam insisted, turning his big puppy eyes on his brother. "If anything happened to you when you're off running after food, I don't know what I'd do. What if you break a leg or get attacked by a coyote or a wolf?"

"Aw, Lassie. That'll never happen. There's never been a dog as smart as me.!" Dean woofed. " I can outrun anything and I'm a great fighter too!" he added with a wide toothy smirk.

" I see modesty isn't your best attribute, " Sam bitched back, sighing.

"Okay, we'll do it your way for now. You're still the big brother, even if only by ten minutes." Sam puffed as he settled down to eat.

"You better believe it, Sammy; and big brothers know best," Dean barked as he too lay down to sate his appetite next to his forever preoccupied and well-loved little brother.

X

The enD


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

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The two dogs, one a sleek black and the other a shaggy chestnut, made their way to the brook that ran through a nearby copse.

Their bellies were full of the meat Dean had hunted, and a good slug of fresh spring water was what was needed to finish off their meal.

X

"See, Sammy," Dean barked, as he lapped at the cool water. "Fresh food is better than all that burger stuff you like so much. If I was a human, I wouldn't touch it!" he asserted firmly.

"Huh," his brother answered unconvinced.

"Humans seem to love it and I'll bet you would too if you were one," Sam continued, his long hairs brushing the water as he drank in small leisurely sips.

"No way! I'd eat better than that," Dean protested as he licked his lips dry. "I can just imagine you munching through countless burgers though," he teased.

"You bet," Sam replied yawning. "Burgers are real tasty, and anyway I don't see you turning your nose up when we get them."

X

Dean shook his head at the sight of his brother. Sammy needed a good brushing, his coat was sticking out all ways, like some canine scarecrow!

He was forever thankful that he had taken after their mother with her short gleaming tan hair, and not their dad who had been the same breed of long-haired dog as Sammy was, only darker.

"I swear all that hair you carry about is going to strangle you one day, Lassie! The next time we meet a helpful human, you gotta puppy-eye them to give you a good combing down," Dean smirked.

"Shut up, Dean," Sam huffed as he blew a stray hair from his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with how I look. You should have been one of those Army dogs, all spit and polish."

"Yeah," Dean answered, dreamily. " Not a bad idea. I'd love to be able to sink my teeth into some bad guy's leg, but then I'd have to leave you on your own, for no soldier in his right mind would want a tousled rag like you around," he grinned, teeth sparkling.

X

"Now you've really offended me, Rin Tin Tin," Sam bitched as he turned on his heels and made to walk away.

"Oh, come om Sammy, You just can't take a joke." Dean teased as he bounded after his brother and wrestled him to the ground.

"Get your hairy ass offa me, Dean!" Sam complained as he sprawled to the ground under the weight of his big brother.

"You know I wouldn't leave you for all the Army dogs in the world. You're my little brother and it's my job to look out for you."

"I can fight my own battles just fine, " Sam answered breathlessly, the wind knocked out of him.

"I know you can, Sammy. I've seen you go up against bigger dogs than you, and win," Dean said in a more serious tone. "But that's not the problem. You're too trusting. You think all humans are good and noble but they aren't. There are some real freaks out there. You **_do_** remember that we escaped by the skin of our teeth from that evil beast Rankin, don't you?"

Sam nodded, he remembered only too well.

"So, Sammy," Dean continued as he pulled himself off him. "Trust in humans is a great thing but not trusting is even better, at least until the human proves themselves."

"Yeah, you're right, Dean. It's just..."

"I know, Sammy," Dean said as he bumped his snout against his brother. "You always want to see the best in everything, but it's not like that, however much you want it to be. That's why I'm here, to watch out for my warmhearted little brother. Come on. Let's go find a comfy spot to hole up for the night."

X

They found the perfect place between two trees with lots of moss and leaves lying beneath them, and Dean waited as Sam circled the spot, his plate sized paws flattening the greenery until it was packed into an soft mattress.

The dogs settled down to sleep, curled up together as they had done since they were puppies, Dean's head and paw resting on top of his brother, ever vigil, ever alert, ever the protector.

X

XXXXX The enD XXXX


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

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So much for protecting his brother, Dean groaned, as he woke up to find that Sam had vacated the soft nest of leaves they had curled up together on the night before.

He had been exhausted after his rabbit hunt yesterday; so out of it that he hadn't realized his dorky brother had slipped away from under his nose.

Sam was the most curious mutt on the planet; he couldn't just relax and laze around; no, he had to go exploring.

Unfortunately, Dean reflected ruefully as he stretched his limbs, he had an unerring knack of getting himself in trouble.

X

He sniffed the ground to get a first indication of the direction his brother had taken and followed it, loping swiftly through the trees, barking as he went, hoping to hear an answering woof from his sibling.

He was uneasy. Any time he had lost sight of his brother something crappy had always happened. They were at their safest when they were together, apart they were vulnerable.

Not hearing an answering call, he began to panic.

Where had Sam ended up?

When he got his paws on him he would tear his careless little brother a new one!

Maybe he had gone towards the little stream they had sated their thirst from the day before.

X

Sam loved water, if there had been an Olympics for dogs, he would have won the gold medal for swimming.

He would be up to his hairy neck in water probably, Dean repeated to himself, refusing to contemplate that something bad could have happened to him.

He cursed himself for always being right, for as he came into sight of the stream, he spotted his brother lying in a bloody heap beside it.

"Sam" he yelped terrified, as he careered towards him.

X

For one heart-stopping moment he though Sam was dead but the slight twitching in his hind legs told him it wasn't so, not yet anyway; though the blood matting his coat was copious.

Dean stood over him, pushing down the urge to howl his desperation to the skies and throw himself onto Sam to comfort him; he had to keep his cool and assess the damage, if he was to save his brother.

X

He could see that Sam's leg was lying at an awkward angle, It was surely broken and the blood-stains on the nearby jagged rock must have been the cause. Something powerful had thrown him on to it.

He could see a wound torn open on his side and another at his neck where a line of teeth marks stood out clearly, blood still oozing sluggishly from them. Sam had been attacked by some large animal, a wolf or a coyote.

Dean decided that he had been calm enough, and the howl he let loose would have terrified any wolf that was in the neighborhood.

X

He lowered his head and gently licked his brother's neck wounds. Sam had lost a lot of blood. His courageous little brother had put up a fight for his teeth and claws were stained with dried blood.

"I've gotcha Sammy," he whispered between licks, relief flooding over him as Sam opened his big puppy eyes, eyes that had been his constant companion since they were both little balls of fluff.

"Dean. I've messed up again," he whined softly, as the touches of his brother's rough tongue revived him.

"Shhh, Lassie; we're gonna get you back to your old self again in no time flat. What happened? A wolf, " Dean asked.

"Yeah. I was drinking and it jumped me. I put up a fight and it ran off, but not before it messed me up."

Sam bared his teeth in a grimace of pain."I think it broke my leg when it threw me on the rock. I can't walk, Dean. Just leave me here. If the wolf comes back to finish the job, you might get hurt too."

"You're joking, right? I'm not leaving you anywhere. We're gonna fix this."

"Dean!"

"We need help, Sammy. I gotta leave you for a while. I have to find a human; one who'll take you to a vet. You gotta get patched up and I can't do it this time. Hang in there, Lassie, I'll be right back and you'll be in a comfy basket before you know it!"

X

He gave Sam one last lick and a caress with his muzzle before turning unwillingly to search for help.

It went against all his big brother instincts to leave Sam on his own wounded, but he had no choice.

"I'll be fine Dean," Sam yelped, both knowing that it was a lie, as Sam couldn't have defended himself from a butterfly in his present condition.

Dean took off, paws barely hitting the ground, until he reached the road. He would stop the first car that passed, hoping that the driver was dog-friendly.

X

The few minutes he had to wait before he heard an engine coming towards him, seemed like an eternity. He took up position in the middle of the road; the car would have to stop. It just had to!

The driver had swerved to avoid hitting dogs before, but she had never seen one standing stock still in the middle of the road as if it was waiting for her. Its head was held high as was its tail.; its eyes boring into her through the windscreen.

Her foot went automatically hard down on the brakes as she came to a halt mere inches from the black dog.

X

"What the hell" she swore as she looked out at it. It was still standing there unmoving.

She sighed and opened the door.

She would have to shoo him away or something, but as soon as she set foot on the ground, the dog was suddenly in front of her, a pleading expression in its strange green eyes.

It began whining softly, licking her hand, running off a few paces and coming back to lick again. "C'mere boy," she said spotting the blood on its face. The dog came docilely and let her examine its face. Then it pulled away whining and barking urgently.

X

"Well, it's not you that's bleeding," she said. "So I 'm guessing the blood came from someone or something else. Come on show me, boy."

"Woof," he answered as if confirming her words.

She slammed the car-door shut and moved off behind the dog as he loped off towards the woods in the distance

The dog would stop and wait for her then run on, and eventually he led her to a little opening in the trees where she could see a chestnut coloured heap of blood-covered fur lying beside a small gurgling stream.

The black-haired dog stopped and she could have sworn he looked down at the other with an almost human expression of concern in his eyes.

X

She knelt next to the poor animal,.

Blackie as she had christened the first dog, whined and nuzzled the back leg of the other.

She gently ran her hand over it and sure enough she could feel the break. At her touch the animal trembled and looked up at her with the same strange eyes as the black dog, only they were huge and dark with the pain of his wounds.

She caressed its face and he gave her hand a quick lick.

"Oh, you poor thing," she said. "But don't worry, I'll get you to a vet as soon as I can."

She studied the dog. It was no little puppy; it was heavy but there was nothing else she could do but carry it back to the car.

Good thing her job kept her in form. She slipped her hands under him, trying to favour his broken leg but she knew it was going to hurt him.

X

"Sammy, You'll be fine now. I was lucky to find a human who looks as if she cares."

"I wasn't worried Dean, I know you always look out for me. Thanks, big bro," and he duly passed out as he was lifted off the damp ground.

X

She made her way back to the car not without difficulty, stopping to take a breather now and then; Blackie would wait patiently by her side until she started forward again.

She performed acrobatic maneuvers to get the back door opened, but eventually the wounded dog was lying on the back seat with Blackie lying on the floor, his head positioned on the seat next to his companion's .

They were a strange pair of dogs, but she gave that only a moment's thought as she made a bee-line for the town and the vet's surgery.

X

"Sammy, Sammy," Dean whispered but his brother was unconscious.

Dean had never felt so lonely, his mind cut off from his brother's but he was comforted by the certainty that Sam wasn't in danger of dying, and he held on to that thought as the car pulled up outside the vet's.

Dean knew he had been lucky finding a car on the back-woods country road complete with a friendly human, so quickly. He refused to contemplate what might have happened to Sam if he had needed to wait for hours.

X

TBC


End file.
